We recently received a visit from a Mom and her 14 month old child.  This Mom adopted her daughter when she was just a few months old and now here she was – a happy, smiling toddler, full of joy and laughter.

Mom shared Hanna’s story with me and told me all about what a special child she was.  Then Mom said she just needed to bring Hanna back to Blessing House to visit because she knew how important Hanna’s stay at Blessing House had been.  Mom said she just knew that Hanna had come from a “place of love,” and she wanted Hanna to experience that again.

I watched Hanna run to the big stuffed gorilla in our lobby and plop herself down in his lap.  She just giggled and was pretty proud of herself as she sat there.  Then she got up, walked down the hall and turned left, heading straight for the playroom.  It was as if she just knew where to go and what to do.  It was as if she remembered being there, even though she had only been an infant.

While Hanna had fun playing with the toys, Mom and I found her footprint on the wall.  Hanna had a different name now, but I knew the footprint on the wall along with the name we called her during her stay at Blessing House would always connect us to this special child who was now in a very happy place.

Hanna waved goodbye as she left, but somehow I know she will be back.

Children can sense a place where they are safe and where they are loved.  They may not be able to express what they know or how they feel, but the love they experience in their first months of life is embedded in their spirit.

What a precious gift she has been given.